Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola on Friday described the blockade of roads and resultant gridlocks in parts of the state following Thursday’s visit of the wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, as an infringement on the right of the residents.

He said the residents, whose taxes provided the infrastructure that made Patience to have a smooth ride, had their business activities put on hold while the blockade lasted.

Fashola, at the 2012 retreat for members of the state executive council and permanent secretaries, urged VIPs in the country to consider the consequences of their security measures, especially road blockade, on other Nigerians.

He said, “Lagosians were needlessly inconvenienced yesterday (Thursday). It dawned on me the need for public officers generally to be more sensitive to the people we serve.

“It is particularly worrisome that this is not an elected person. I think we all must check how security agencies use the movement of high officers, especially VIPs, to disrupt citizens and taxpayers, whose money were used to fuel all the vehicles and all the apparatus that we used to block the roads against them.

“It is an issue that calls for greater sensitivity. I understand the need to protect the VIPs, but it must be done in a way that it does not inconvenience anybody.

“It should not get to the level that we close the roads in the state because VIPs want to pass.

“If they let us know earlier, traffic can be managed and citizens here respect their leaders and they will gladly allow them to go.

“I don’t think they deserve to be kept on the road in a standstill for five hours.”

On the state’s economy and budget performance, Fashola said Lagos had recorded 65 per cent performance in the 2012 first quarter budget implementation.

“This is a noticeable improvement on what we had in the corresponding period last year,” Fashola said.

Culled: Punch

3 Comments

I am of opinion that what Governor Fashola said is the truth. The people we elected are meant to serve us and not to make life difficult for the citizens. She is like every other person in the country. Let me tell you the truth today if security problem is solved in Nigeria our leaders do not need to block any road before they move around. The prime minister of great Britain board the same train other British board so what is now the problem in what Governor Fashola said. Honestly speaking, we need to go out to developed nations and learn from them we are supposed to value and respect our citizens. It is in Nigeria you will see a local government chairman moving around with security here and there. If they are doing what is right why should they be afraid of people that elected them into power. Do you know that Governor Fashola has boarded BRT before? We want transparent leaders.We want our leaders to have human feelings. They should have a taste of what citizens are going through. Look this one of the reasons why things are still not working fine. When the president’s wife was going to leave Abuja I guess the road was also blocked in Abuja. She travelled by air and there was no way she would have known that roads are bad. She got to Lagos again the roads were cleared for her. Can you now tell me how our leaders will see things the way we see them. When a poor man’s son is complaining of hungry a rich man’s son will say hungry as how because before they open their eyes the food is already on the table. Let our leaders suffer the same gallop we suffer everyday. Please Fashola has spoken well my wonderful Nigerians

I am of opinion that what Governor Fashola said is the truth. The people we elected are meant to serve us and not to make life difficult for the citizens. She is like every other person in the country. Let me tell you the truth today if security problem is solved in Nigeria our leaders do not need to block any road before they move around. The prime minister of great Britain board the same train other British board so what is now the problem in what Governor Fashola said. Honestly speaking, we need to go out to developed nations and learn from them we are supposed to value and respect our citizens. It is in Nigeria you will see a local government chairman moving around with security here and there. If they are doing what is right why should they be afraid of people that elected them into power. Do you know that Governor Fashola has boarded BRT before? We want transparent leaders.We want our leaders to have human feelings. They should have a taste of what citizens are going through. Look this is one of the reasons why things are still not working fine. When the president’s wife was going to leave Abuja I guess the road was also blocked in Abuja. She travelled by air and there was no way she would have known that roads are bad. She got to Lagos again the roads were cleared for her. Can you now tell me how our leaders will see things the way we see them. When a poor man’s son is complaining of hungry a rich man’s son will say hungry as how because before they open their eyes the food is already on the table. Let our leaders suffer the same gallop we suffer everyday. Please Fashola has spoken well my wonderful Nigerians

I am ashamed to read what the Executive Governor was saying, it means that he doesn’t have regard to the President. It also means that the wife of the President is no body in the Federal Republic. Let the Governor assume that he was the President of which tomorrow he might also become, if his wife is to visit another state let’s assume any other geo-political zone other than Lagos, does he mean that nobody should give regard to his wife? That should be food for thought.